Guardians move up in MLB Power Rankings

The season has just passed the halfway point, and the Cleveland Guardians are still considered among the best teams in the league. That is at least according to a recent MLB Power Ranking appearing on Bleacher Report.

With a 52-30 record, Joel Reuter has the Guardians at number four in the recently publishedMLB Power Rankings 2024: Astros, Padres, Royals Rise; Cubs, Rangers Continue to Slide. Cleveland's Star of the Week in Reuter's eyes was Jose Ramirez, who collected 10 hits, including four home runs and three doubles while driving in nine runs and stealing one base. 

Interestingly enough, this is a slight improvement over last week's ranking of fifth despite going 3-4 on the road, including losing three out of four to the Royals in Kansas CIty. It appears that more stock is being put into taking a series from the Orioles in Baltimore rather than the near sweep at the hands of the Royals.

The Guardians won seven straight before dropping three of four to the division rival Royals over the weekend, but it was still a solid week thanks to a series win on the road over the Orioles. Gavin Williams will make his 2024 debut on Wednesday after dealing with an elbow injury to start the year, and Triston McKenzie was optioned to the minors to make room for him on the roster.

Also playing a factor here appears to be the changes coming to Cleveland's starting rotation. The Guardians are set to see the 2024 debut of Gavin Williams this week. Meanwhile, the organization thought it would be best for Triston McKenzie to work on his command issues in the minors. Ideally, Williams is able to build upon his strong rookie campaign, in addition to McKenzie figuring things out in Columbus. This would give the Guardians a much more promising rotation as they prepare for the playoffs once the regular season comes to an end.